COVER STORY
COVER STORY
provides it ." " Transportation infrastructure ," Ruane points out , " is one of the few service platforms necessary to support a dynamic economy , growing population and high quality standard of living that is chronically underfunded because in many states and at the federal level the user fee rate that supports it is left static for decades on end ."
" Americans and our elected representatives can ' t simply wish for a 21 ( st ) century transportation network . We have to pay for it ," he says .
" This research helps bring the transportation investment conversation down to the kitchen table level , rather than talking about trillion dollar needs ," Ruane says . " If system beneficiaries--the public and American businesses--invested in transportation infrastructure in line with what we routinely pay monthly for other necessary services , we would see reduced transportation costs for business , faster commutes , and safer , smarter , more durable roads , bridges and transit ."
For the research , a total 1,001 interviews of American adults were conducted over the phone from April 4-8 , collected from the Ipsos Public Affairs telephone omnibus survey , TeleNation . It included both randomly selected landline and cell phone interviews , conducted in either English or Spanish depending on the respondent . The data were weighted to reflect Current Population Study statistics on age within gender , U . S . Census Region , market size , education , race and ethnicity . ■
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